Thursday, December 9, 2010

Our lunch spot after a steady 10 kilometer climb and a thrilling downhill that brought us to sea level.

Overcast skies, but a classic view nonetheless.

Caverns found along the way, just outside of Punakaiki.

Thin-layered limestone known as Pancake Rocks, near Panakaiki.

The sun came out for five minutes at Pancake Rocks. We didn't see it again for the rest of the day.

Terns nest on the rock pillars at Pancake rocks.

We were warned about this dangerous, bike-eating bridge south of Greymouth.

And appropriately so -- a one-lane bridge that shares space with a railway track. A model of Kiwi efficiency.

We didn't ask if they were selling the two- or four-legged variety. But we did purchase some very excellent goat cheese to fuel us further down the road.

Black sand beach at Hokitika.

The best cycling is through the bush of the national parks and reserves -- like going through a tunnel of green.

As we near Hari Hari, the road bends way inland to find a narrow and stable spot to construct a bridge. Fine glacial dust colors this river turquoise, giving us a clue of the ice masses in the Southern Alps upstream that are shrouded in clouds.